In the entertainment industry, the video tape recorder (“‘VTR”) has served for many years as the main device for storing video and accompanying audio. However, there is a need for an apparatus that provides capabilities beyond those offered by the VTR. In particular, there is a need for an apparatus that can store data on network-accessible mass storage devices, e.g., disk drives. Additionally, there is a need for an apparatus that can transcode data between different data formats. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus that can store data on network-accessible storage devices and transcode data between formats. The present invention satisfies these needs.